Sir Elton John turned 70 in March and nearly died two months later in May in intensive care

The monumental year confirmed a long-planned decision which he announced to a stunned music world on Wednesday, to retire from touring and relocate permanently back to England to live a quieter life focussed primarily on being a committed dad to his sons Zachary, seven, and Elijah, five.

In an exclusive interview in his New York hotel room after the announcement, Sir Elton tells me: “I’m not going to be going anywhere other than England for a long, long time.

“It’s not based on health, it’s not based on dwindling record sales. I’ve had the most fantastic, lucky career. I’ve enjoyed every single minute of playing live.

“There have been dark times, they have been self-induced. And my life is so wonderful now. Ten years ago I wouldn’t be sitting here saying this. But now with the boys, it’s time.”

Sir Elton said he wants to stop touring so he can dedicate his time to raising his two sons

Elton will sign off his years on the road with a 300-date Farewell Yellow Brick Road global tour over three years, starting in Pennsylvania, America, on September 8 and hitting the UK in 2019.

His spectacular plans were re-affirmed after he found himself in intensive care battling to stay alive in May last year having contracted a “rare and potentially deadly” bacterial infection on his way back to the UK from Chile.

The previously invincible Rocket Man — who is sprightly and in control during our time together — describes himself as “very unlucky” having had “a clean bill of health” just two months earlier to coincide with his 70th birthday.

But he recalls: “I went to South America, had a wonderful tour with James Taylor, came back from Chile, felt bad on the plane, got home on a Tuesday night. I was in intensive care on Thursday and stayed there for two days. I was very, very close to death. I didn’t know that . . . and was very fortunate I had great team of doctors.

“It took me seven weeks to get back to normal after that. I had tubes coming out of every . . . ”

He trails off and admits the experience contributed to his decision to permanently re-evaluate his life, including launching the farewell tour.

He says: “That is a wake-up. You think you’re completely solid and nothing is going to stop me — and then something like that, which was extremely unlucky.

“Things happen for a reason. I thought, ‘We made this decision to come off the road, and this has reinforced it. This is someone telling me that, you know, it is about time’.

Elton John receives Honorary Doctorate with mother Sheila Farebrother by his side

“You think about your mortality and think, ‘God, I want to spend more time with the boys’.”

Having his own children was also the impetus for Elton to agree to get back in touch with his mother Sheila Farebrother last year. It was in the months before she died and after a decade-long feud which she had publicly recounted in painful detail.

Speaking for the first time about his mum’s death at 92, Elton says he is “glad” there was a “nice reconciliation”.

He explains: “She wasn’t talking to her sister and in the end everyone was talking to each other.

“I saw her a week before she died and thought, ‘God, she’s pretty feisty, she’s going to last for a few months’. A week later she was dead. It really shook me.”

With their relationship back on track, Elton was able to say his final goodbye at her funeral at his Woodside estate in Windsor, Berks.

He recalls: “We had a beautiful private ceremony for her in the chapel at Woodside — where my grandmother died, where her ashes are scattered. It was just family and there was a cremation the next day. I wanted to have a private ceremony, and it was a beautiful religious ceremony.

“I sang, and I did a eulogy, and it was a lovely farewell. It was lovely that we did reconcile because otherwise . . . life’s too short.”

The rock legend will sign off his touring years on the road with a 300-date Farewell Yellow Brick Road global tour

Elton first discussed the idea of retiring from touring with his husband and manager David Furnish three years ago.

He told me: “Years ago I said to David, ‘I’ll be working like Ray Charles or B.B. King, I’ll probably die on stage’. Then, of course, the children came along and changed our lives and I wanted to take fatherhood seriously.

“When they were small we took them everywhere with us, and then they start school and you can’t take them out of school. I’m happy because by the time I finish the tour the boys will be eight and ten.

“And they’re coming on the tour for part of it. We’re going to take a tutor on the road to probably Australia and the Far East — really interesting places for them to see. So it was an easy decision.”

Sir Elton first talked about retiring with his husband and manager David Furnish three years ago

Elton retains the honour of having the highest-selling single of all time, with his Candle In The Wind for Princess Diana having sold 33million copies.

He remains close to his late friend’s sons, Princes William and Harry, and is delighted by Harry’s engagement to Meghan Markle.

Speaking of the moment Harry told him about the romance for the first time, at a conference in Italy, Elton reveals: “I spent time with him in Sicily last summer.

“I could tell he was totally in love. He didn’t really discuss much personally but he said, ‘I’m in love’. “I thought, ‘Good for you.’ Both those boys seem to be ecstatically happy and that’s all you want people to be, no matter who they are.

I was in intensive care with rare infection. It took weeks to recover

Sir Elton on his life-threatening illness

Sir Elton John throws back to one of George Michaels' beloved albums during the Channel 4 documentary Freedom

“When people get married, you want it to last, you want them to be happy. I’m happy for him, I hope they have a wonderful day.”

So will Elton get to perform at the wedding? He says: “I don’t know. I haven’t even been . . . no one’s been asked.

“It will be a nice day. I love him very dearly.

“We’re working very, very closely on Aids projects with him. And both of those boys are very special to me because of their mother.